Machine for cutting green corn from the cob



Dec. 6, 1927.

F. M. FOSTER MAC [NE FOR CUTTING GREEN CORN FROM THE COB Filed D50. 29. 1925 Dec. 6, 1927.

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F. M. FOSTER MACHINE FOR CUTTING GREEN CORN FROM THE COB Filed bee. 29. 192: 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

FRANK M. FOSTER, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING GREEN CORN FROM THE 0013.

Application filed December 29, 1923. Serial No. 683,328.

This invention relates to improvements in mzgchines for cutting green corn from the co The objects of the invention are:

First, to provide an efficient and rapid machine which will cut the body of the kernel substantially of even length without injuring or crushing of the severed portion of the kernels.

Second, to provide such a machine which will effectively slice the kernels of corn and thereafter separately remove and scrape any pulp or fragments of the kernel from the cob, preserving the sameseparately.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies of construction and operation will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specification. The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the claims.

A structure which is a preferred embodiment of my invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification. in which:

Fig. I is a detail side elevation of my improved machine, portions of the supporting frame being broken away.

Fig. II is a detail front elevation view of the upper portions of the machine taken from the right hand of Fig. I, the leg portion of the frame being broken away.

Fig. III is a plan view of the structure appearing in Figs. I and II.

Fig. IV is an enlarged detail vertical sectional elevation taken on a line corresponding to line H of Figs. II and III, the knife and scraper supports appearing in full lines.

Fig. V is an enlarged detail sectional elevation taken on line 55 of Fig. III of the compressor means for holding the spiked feed rolls yieldingly towards each other.

Fig. VI is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 66 of Figs. III and IV, showing the arrangement and support of the yielding cutter knives.

Fig. VII is a detail sectional view taken on the curved and irregular line 77 of Fig. VI of one of the yielding radially disposed knife and guard carrying arms.

Fig. VIII is an enlarged detail sectional iew taken on line 8---8 of Fig. VII showing the arrangement and construction of the cutting knife and the adjustable guard for regulating the depth of the cut.

Fig. VIII is a modification of the cutter means showing a plurality of cutter knives.

Fig. IX is an enlarged detail sectional view through a scraper and shoe similar to the section appearing in Fig. VIII, but taken on line 9-9 of Fig. X.

Fig. X is an enlarged elevation view of the scraper taken from the right hand of Fig. IX.

Fig. XI is an enlarged detail elevation view of the yielding guides or centering shoes for directing the corn ear to the revolving spiked feed rollers and cutter knives.

Fig. XII is an enlarged sectional view on line 1212 of. Fig. XI, showing the intermeshed segments and their support for insuring the centering of the guiding centering shoes.

Fig. XIII shows a modification of the cutter head of Fig. VI in which six segmental knives are provided with the same style of support, the yielding compression spring seen in Fig. VI being omitted.

In the drawing. the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the little arrows at the ends of the section lines and similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawing by their numbers, 1 is the general frame work made up of standards and a suitable top frame 2. preferably of angle bars. A feed chute 3 extends to one side of the main frame, being supported by the brace 3.

An endless conveyor 4 is disposed to traverse the bottom of the feed chute and is supported on suitable rolls 5 and 6, the roll 6 being on the adjustable bracket 7. Tight and loose pulleys 8 with belt shifters 8 are provided for driving the machine.

A sprocket chain 50 extends from the driving shaft to a sprocket wheel 51 for driving the conveyor.

Pairs of spiked feed rollers 9 and 10 are disposed in opposed relation to engage and advance the corn ears, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. IV. These are carried on shafts 11 and 12 provided with universal joints 13 and 14 respectively, the same being ile-tan by ears 1-5 and 1e at-ssh warmest.

all in a suitable train of gears driven from the tight and loose pulley structure 8.

These shafts are held yieldingly towards each other by the springs 11 resting on the upper shaft 11 in each instance, the same being adjusted by the set screw 11'. detailed 'iart-icularly, in Fig. V.

At the delivery endot the :t'eed chute 3 is disposed a pair of centering shoes 17, 18, carried on arms 19, 20, which are pivoted at 21, 22, respectively, on the cross bar 24. These are provided with intermeshi-np; gear segments 19", an arm 17 extends up- Wardly at 1? and a spring 23 provided for tensioning the same connected at its upper end to the upper end of the arm 17 and at its lOWGl end to the cross bar 2 The centering shoes l7 l8 flare like a tum nel. to receive thekadvancing end of the corn ear and, as they are yiel'l n l Y held by the spring 23 and thesegme s reterred to. the corn is ,lreptiu centra A i on as it advances between the said cente 0' shoes.

The first pair of spilt-co in) 9 and 10 engages the ear to carry it d to the cutting knives. A casing 23, trop s-like in form, is provided for the supp. it oi the parts of the machine. A knife supper ring; 26 is supportecon suitable liracl and carries the cutting knives. The cutting; knifearms 28 are pivoted to the ring; 26 by pivots 29. four of these arms being preterably provided on which are spirally disposed cutter knives 30. each provided with a shank 31 see VI. VII and VH1) disposed in a recess 32 and retained in place by cross bolt 32. The knivesnre curved to correspond to the contour of a corn ear and interlap so that they slide or move into telescopic relation with each other as they are swung out and in on their respective pivots.

A guard 33 is disposed back ozt each l having an angling; shoe-like face and ingpartii-EB', each guard being provided \vi a shankv 34 disposed on the opposite side of the arm 28 from the shank 31 of the knife and retained in place by the same cross bolt A slot 85 extending; longitudinally of the shank 3% is provided wherelry the guard 83 may be adjusted in its relation to the knife 80. This regulates the depth of the cut and enables the knits to cut ed a, sin ll portion or substantially the entire .lzernel,

from the cornear being cut.

The yieldingrelation of the knives is secured by the concentric ring 36, which lS'Cfllried by the outer ends 28 of the pivoted arms 28,these arms beingprovided Withlongitudinal slots 28" in which are disposed pivot blocks 37 on pivot 88 to permit sl' it radial movement on, said rings 86. H rality of knives 30, see Fig. VHF be disposed upon the support which will slice the kernels into thin slices Wherever that 5 may be desired. The knives are all disposed.

A IL second chute 47.

earner carried on suitable shanks 4E0 retained on the arn'128 by the cross bolt 32, ii is a stop secured to the ring 36 at l2 l1 welding; or otherwise.

43 is adjustable stop limiting: the iu- Ward throw of the cutter knives l'JYdilDllilllgI the movement of the ringspring 44 on rod 45 acting; against the adjusting nut 45 holds the cutter knives or the scrhpers. when scrapers are employ "ed. to their Work, the pressure thereof being adjusted by adjusting the said nut 45. As appears in Fla. XIII, six of these knives and arms may he very readily disposed in the circle. thereby. securing a little more even cutting of the kernels from the corn car.

In the bottom of the CYOHQjlldlkG structure are discharge chutes 46 and 47: the first, 46, for the cut corn; the second. 47. tor the scraped corn.

From this description it is very clear that an ear of corn fed into the machine. which may be advanced to position by the conveyor or may be inserted through the centerins: shoes by hand, will be seized by the spiked rollers and forced straight through the cutting knives which will be separated to the right position tocut the kernel 0'? corn at the required depth by guides associated with the blades. Aneven cutting; ot the kernel is thus secured. no matter What the size of the cob or corn can within the limits oi. the machine These kernels, cleanly (uh drop down through the first and the ears are advanced by the spiked rollers until they pass under the shoe oi the scraper, the scrapers bei g preferably held strongly against the ears so that tl y force out all of the remaining pulp, leaving" the cob clean of all the kernel. This scraped corn pulp is dropped "through the chute 4L7.

Vl hile my machine is intended especially to secure properly the entire cut kernel. which makes a very attractive appearance in the can and When separated from the pulp. the machine is especially Well adapted to merely cutting. oi? the tips of the kernel and scraping out the contents (Llelivering it, minus the outer touch covering. through the The lightly cutoff portions are delivered through the first chute 46 and separately canned. ;l-'lovvevcr. in view of their being cut'very small they ma be introduced into the can with the pulp itself.

lviy machine is capable of great variations in detail Without departing; from my iuven t-ion. I desire to claim it specifically and broadly, and also the parts thereof; as pointed out in the appended claims.

chute 46 Ill) Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a corn cutting machine, the combination with suitable framework, a ring supported by suitable brackets on the frame of said machine axially disposed to the line of feed, curved radially disposed arms pivoted to said ring, overlapping bevelled and angularly arranged knives disposed centrally and spirally of said ring, the edges of the knives being parallel with the periphery of said ring and overlapping and telescoping one upon the other, radial shanks on the said knives secured to the inner ends of said radially disposed pivoted arms, adjustable bevelled guards with shanks parallel with the knife shanks carried on the opposite sides of said curved arms, a surrounding ring around the said supporting ring, radially projecting portions from the said radially disposed arms with longitudinal slots therein, pivotal blocks on said ring for adjusting and varying the angle of the arms and to control the position of the knives, and flexible yielding means between said rings for holding the said knives yieldingly towards the center, coacting as specified.

2. In a corn cutting machine, the combi nation with suitable framework, a ring supported by suitable brackets on the frame of said machine axially disposed to the line of feed, curved radially disposed arms pivoted to said ring, overlapping bevelled and angularly arranged knives disposed centrally and spirally of said ring, the edges of the knives being parallel with the periphery of said ring and overlapping and telescoping one upon the other, radial shanks on the said knives secured to the inner ends of said radially disposed pivoted arms, a surrounding ring around the said supporting ring, ra-

dially projecting portions from the said radially disposed arms with longitudinal slots therein, pivotal blocks on said ring for adjusting and varying the angle of the arms and to control the position of the knives, flexible yielding means between said rings for holding the said knives yieldingly towards the center, a scraper means disposed to act on the ear after the scrapers comprising a second ring with like radially disposed arms and yielding supporting means for the same, scrapers carried by said arms, flaring shoes cooperating with the said scrapers to insure the proper engagement of the scraper with the corn ear, coacting as specified.

8. In a corn cutting machine, the combination with suitable framework, yielding centering guides to receive the corn ear end on. comprising concentrically bevelled side portion, arms for said guides disposed at right angles to the axis thereof, separate pivots for said arms parallel to said axis, inter-meshed toothed segments carried by said arms for controlling them to a proper centering movement, and a spring for one of said arms, coacting as specified.

t. In a corn cutting machine, the combination with suitable framework, guiding and feeding means for the corn car, a set of curved knives disposed in interlapping circular spiral relation for cutting the corn with a draw out as the ears advance axially therethrough, a set of curved scrapers disposed in circular relation spaced from the said knives for scraping the ear after the cutting knives have acted thereon with separate chutes for the cut and scraped corn, to collect the cut and scraped corn separately.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK M. FOSTER. 

